De lacy e



(No Model.)

DE LACY E. BALLAM. MOP AND BRUSH.

' N5. 555,585. P55511555 Aug. 11,. 1896.

244 505 5/4455. 3W m W UNITED STATES DE LACY E. BALLAM, OF BROOKLYN, NEWYORK, ASSIGNOR TO PATRICK J. GRACE, OF SAME PLACE.

MOP OR BRUSH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent no. 565,588, dated. rid es;11, 1896. Application filed November 21, 1895} a Serial No. 569,642. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DE LACY E. BALLAM, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Brooklyn, Kings county, New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mops and Brushes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mops and brushes.

Especially the invention relates to the combination of sponges withbacks of wood or metal provided with suitable fastening devices forretaining the sponges firmly in position on the backs without tearingthe sponges.

Referring to the drawings which accompany the specification to aid thedescription, Figure 1 is a cross-section of the brush. Fig. 2 is a planView of the same, the sponge being partly broken away. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 4. is an enlargedcross-section of one of the slats of which the backis composed. Fig. 5is a plan view of a piece of sheet metal provided with slits for makingone form of hook-fastening. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the samebefore the prongs are bent. Fig. 7 is a sectional view, and Fig. 8 aplan, of a finished fastening. I

In order to efieet the combination of sponge and back in such a manneras to prevent the sponge from tearing, I proceed as follows: A slat A,preferably of wood, and having a part of its opposite longitudinal edgesbeveled, as at a, is covered on the face and edges with a sheet B ofsuitable metal, as tin, the same having been first provided withhook-fastenings O. Said sheet 13 is secured on the slat A in anysuitable manner, as by tacking, and the said fastenings O are preferablyformed as follows: The sheet B, being still fiat, slits c are made in iton radii of small circles. The. points between said slits are thenturned up and their tips bent over, forming hooks d d, Fig. 7. A greatnumber of such fastenings are made in the sheet B, and would ofthemselves provide a very efficient fastening for the sponge S; but Iincrease their efficiency by inserting bent wire hooks E into the slat Athrough the fastenings O, as is plainly shown in Fig. 4. The heads e ofsaid hooks E are all turned in the same direction. As seen in Fig. 2,said heads are all parallel to the length of the slats A, but they mightalso be perpendicular thereto. A number of such slats are preferablyemployed to make up a brushback. The ends of said slats are fittedbetween the flanges f f of end pieces F, which are preferably formed ofsheet metal. In one edge of each slat A will be set dowels h, and in theadjacent edge of the next slat will be holes for the ends of saiddowels.

The brush is assembled as follows: One or more of the slats Abeing inthe end pieces F, but the slats being wide apart, a piece of sponge Swide enough to cover the face and edges of the slat, and, if possible,as long as the slat, is pressed on the faceand edges of the slat andgiven a slight movement in a direction at right angles to the heads 6 ofhooks E. This movement catches the sponge under all the hooks d E, sothat it is held at a great number of points, and the movement is tooslight to tear the sponge. Now, another slat having been covered withsponge in a similar manner is pressed hard on the first slat, the dowelsh of one slat being thus pushed through both thicknesses of sponge intothe holes 1' of the other slat. At the same time the edges of the slatsclamp the sponge, and the bevels 0,, together with the sponge, form adovetail. In this manner a considerable thickness of sponge is veryfirmly held between the slats A A and effectually resists any movementof the sponge which would tear it from the hooks d E. After all theslats are pressed together, flaps 70, provided on the end pieces F, arebent over and fastened, as in Fig. 3, thus holding the slats A A-inplace. Said flaps 70 may be so long that they will cover and form afinish for the sides of the brush, or a strip of metal or wood may beapplied for thefinish. A

cover L is finally fastened on the back of the slats.

After the sponge is in place it is advisable to strike the bottomsharply with a hammer at many points, so as to somewhat flatten down thesaid hooks and engage them even more firmly on the sponge.

In case a single piece of sponge is not long enough to cover all theslat several pieces may be placed on, each piece being firmly held inthe manner described.

Now, having described my improvements, I claim as my invention- 1. Thecombination, in a brush or mop, of a back composed of a plurality ofmovable parts, dowels in the edge of one part and recesses for thedowels in the adjacent edge of the other part, and sponge drawn into thespaces between said parts and transfixed by said dowels, substantiallyas described.

2. A brush or mop consisting of a back made up of a plurality of slatshaving oppositely-beveled adjacent edges, hook-fastenings on said slats,and sponge clamped between the beveled edges of the slats and caught inthe fastenings, substantially as described.

3. A brush or mop consisting of a back composed of a plurality of slats,flange-plates to hold the ends of the slats, beveled edges and hookedfastenings on the slats, and sponge clamped between the beveled edgesand caught in the fastenings, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 18th day of November, 1895.

DE LACY E. BALLAM.

Witnesses:

HENRY V. BROWN, BERNARD J. IsEoKE.

